A new blood test can detect heart attacks hours faster than the current gold-standard blood test, according to a study led by Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine researchers and published in 2014 in the American Journal of Physiology – Heart and Circulatory Physiology.
Category: Health
14 Questions About Your Breast Cancer Diagnosis
prognosis and medical choices.
Stopping Aggressive Breast Cancer
The chance of breast cancer spreading beyond the initial tumor may be decreased by lowering the level of a protein, according to new research.
A team of investigators from The Ohio State University found that mice implanted with breast cancer cells without the protein, myoferlin, developed self-contained tumors whose cells did not spread beyond the original site.
In contrast, mice implanted with cancer cells containing the protein developed larger, irregular masses and showed signs that cancer cells had invaded the surrounding tissue.
Pulling Teeth May Not Reduce Cardiac Infection Risk
When patients have the potentially dangerous combination of abscessed or infected teeth and the need for heart surgery, the problem teeth often are removed before surgery to reduce the risk of infections including potentially lethal endocarditis. However a study done at the Mayo Clinic and published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery found that roughly 1 in 10 heart surgery patients who had teeth extracted before surgery died or had adverse outcomes such as a stroke or kidney failure.
Diagnosing Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline personality disorder, a serious mental illness, affects six to ten million Americans, according to statistics from New York-Presbyterian Hospital. That’s more than twice the number of people affected by bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. And up to 90 percent of those diagnosed are women; while that may be because women seek treatment more often than men, it’s still a substantial number. Despite its prevalence, borderline personality disorder less widely known than other conditions such as depression.
A Better Measure of Obesity-Related Death Risk
A new technique for measuring obesity may soon replace the classic BMI measurement, according to new research.
The technique, known as ABSI (A Body Shape Index), was developed by Dr. Nir Krakauer, an assistant professor of civil engineering from City College of New York, and his father, Dr. Jesse Krakauer, MD
The team tested the technique and published a follow-up study in the online journal PLoS ONE, that supports their contention that the technique, known as A Body Shape Index (ABSI), is a more effective predictor of mortality than Body Mass Index (BMI).
Diabetes & Stroke Linked for Women
New research done at at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and published in the journal Diabetologia shows that diabetes in women is associated with an increased risk of stroke. Yet the data do not show the same association among men. Also, the researchers found the risk of stroke among diabetic women was substantially raised for women aged 55 years and over compared with younger women.
Study: Blood Pressure Should Be Taken in Both Arms
To get the best possible blood pressure reading, health care practitioners should start taking readings using both arms, because a difference between the two readings indicates a significantly higher risk of heart disease, new research shows.
Most blood pressure measurements are taken using only one arm. Although the link between heart disease and differences in “interarm” readings had been suspected, this is the first study that provides statistics supporting that theory.
Fighting Mild Forgetfulness
Editor’s note: Dementia, including Alzheimer’s, is one of the most frightening health problems, especially as we age. It cannot be prevented or cured, and it is marked by a humiliating mental decline. Because it affects primarily older people, many of us are frightened by signs of forgetfulness or memory loss. Here, the experts from the National Institute on Aging explain the issue of mild forgetfulness and how you can handle it:
What is mild forgetfulness?
Watch: Urine: What’s Normal?
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Vitamin E, Selenium Linked to Increased Prostate Cancer Risk
Selenium or Vitamin E can sharply increase the risk of prostate cancer, according to a new study from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.
Taking Vitamin E can raise the chances of getting prostate cancer by as much as 63 percent in some men. Taking selenium can double the risk of getting a high-grade form of the same illness.
The findings, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, are the latest to show that supplements don’t always have a positive effect.
Health-Care Coverage: A Tragic Exception
By Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News
Dealing with the aftermath of a suicide or attempted suicide is stressful enough. But some health plans make a harrowing experience worse by refusing to cover medical costs for injuries that are related to suicide—even though experts say that in many cases such exclusions aren't permitted under federal law.
Yet patients or their loved ones often don't realize that.
Preventing and Treating Cellulite
When perusing through the shelves of anti-aging skin care products, you’ll probably notice that a significant number of them are dedicated to helping you get rid of cellulite. Although it isn’t harmful, cellulite is one of the most stubborn and embarrassing aesthetic issues to correct and, unfortunately, it only gets worse with age.
Thyroid Activity & Depression in Seniors
Older people with thyroid gland activity that is in the normal range but more active than average may be at increased risk for depression, according to research done at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
“Sticky Blood” and Strokes
Scientists at Imperial College London have discovered that iron deficiency may increase the risk of stroke by making blood stickier and more vulnerable to dangerous clothing.
The Imperial team found that iron deficiency increases the stickiness of platelets, small blood cells that initiate blood clotting when they stick together.
Stress Hormone Linked to Frailty
Low levels of cortisol in the morning and high levels in the evening are associated with declining grip strength and walking speed, which are indications of frailty in older adults. That is the finding of research done at Helmholtz Zentrum München in Neuherberg in Germany and published in the March 2014 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Color Vision Problems as We Age
Abnormal color vision increases significantly with aging and affects 50% or more of people in the oldest age groups, according to a study done at The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute in San Francisco and published in the journal Optometry and Vision Science.
Declining Happiness for Men 70+
Research done at Oregon State University and Boston University found that perceptions of unhappiness – or dealing with “hassles” – tends to get worse for men once they are over 70. The study was published in the journal Psychology and Aging. Reasons vary, the investigators say, but may be because of health issues, cognitive decline, or the loss of a spouse or friends.